A ROW has erupted over a priest banning yoga from a church hall because the class was not compatible with the Catholic faith.

Instructor Cori Withell said the classes she booked for yoga and pilates at St Edmunds Church building in Southampton were cancelled with 10 days to go.

She was told by the church's booking secretary that it was because yoga is a Hindu religious activity.

Father John Chandler from the church said that the hall has to be used for Catholic activities and he banned it because it was advertised as spiritual yoga.

The ban is not Catholic Church policy and decisions are left to the discretion of individual priests. Some Catholic retreats use yoga for relaxation.

Ms Withell, 37, from nearby Eastleigh, said the church accepted the booking two months ago and she paid 180.

She was called later and told that yoga was from another religion so she could not have the hall. A separate pilates class she had booked was also cancelled.

Concerned ... Father John Chandler

She said: I had never heard about any religious issue with yoga before but I have looked into it since and found that some other religions feel that when people meditate it could let the devil inside them.

But there was never any meditation in my class - it was just exercises. Yoga is not religious: spiritual, but not religious.

Go here to read the rest:
Catholic church sparks religious row by banning ‘Hindu’ Yoga classes